My comrade in PLP and myself try to encourage each other to overcome our resistance to engaging with our friends in the community. We decided to go to the Occupy Wall Street demonstration in Dilworth Plaza here in Philadelphia. He had brought CHALLENGEs to sell.
As we rounded City Hall, we made our way through the lanes of “occupying tents” toward the crowd having an open meeting at the Tech Tent. It was presented by a coalition — All Mothers are Working Mothers; Payday for Men; Women’s Global Strike; and DHS-Give Us Back Our Children — to about 35 people, from their late teens to retirees, listening closely to explanations of the sexist and economic injustice faced by parents and children.
These painful experiences were often generated by both governmental agencies and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) which supposedly give aid to families. The crowd was equally divided among black and white, as well as Southeast Asians and Latinos; about two-thirds were female. We were being urged to fight to support justice and demand better services for moms, dads and children.
Amid this rally, I had a strong memory of myself as a teen-aged woman
listening to protest leaders and experiencing the awakening of my own political mind. A “speak-out” line was forming at the mike. I’ve had a “communist education” from the PLP — through my spouse, our PLP club, area leader, reading CHALLENGE, attending Party conventions, then bringing these ideas to co-workers, friends, and family members and participating in PL-led anti-fascist demonstrations.
I discussed the idea with my comrade about saying a few words at the mike. We agreed and I got in line to be handed the mike a few moments later and began speaking.
I agreed that sexism is oppressing us in many cruel ways. Most men and their children suffer from the effects of this sexism on the women they love and experience it directly on themselves as well. We face the same basic problems and we can face them together when we unite and create a society without sexist oppression. Many in the crowd applauded.
I said the division and injustices of sexism, added to the worst kind of racism and patriotism, keep us blaming other groups of workers, both employed and unemployed. While acknowledging that some people react negatively to the word “communism,” I declared that the only way to defeat sexism and racism is for all workers, men and women, young and old, to organize to defeat capitalism.
This profit-maximizing system cannot allow us workers any gains without snatching them right back. I said we need to get rid of this whole system and called for a communist-led society where meeting the needs of the workers drives the decisions.
At this point I was being tapped on the elbow to give up the mike, but was able to conclude that the Progressive Labor Party was leading this fight to create a world of equality and sharing and that the paper we were distributing would give more information. The audience expressed warm applause.
My comrade and I distributed the remaining CHALLENGEs. We discussed the strengths and weaknesses of our actions and words and agreed that it was important practice.
The ongoing class war is being waged against us whether we choose to see it or not. We dedicate this letter to inspiring our comrades in PL (such as myself) to put into action the Party’s ideas to build working-class warriors determined to bring about our goal of a communist world.J
Comrade in Philly
